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[[http://www.owasp.org/index.php/Web_Application_Penetration_Testing_AoC Up]]<br>
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{{Template:OWASP Testing Guide v4}}
{{Template:OWASP Testing Guide v2}}
 
  
=== Information Gathering ===
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''' 4.2 Information Gathering '''
 
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A security testing needs a first phase focused on collect of all the information about an application. Information Gathering is a necessary step of a penetration test.<br>
 
This task can be carried out by using many different sources.
 
Using methods such as public tools (search engines), using fictitious requests purposely forged to receive error messages that give back the versions and technologies used by the application or analyzing and discovering the front-end/back-end infrastructure and applications with the purpose to collect many other useful information.<br>
 
  
Often it’s possible to gather this information by receiving a response from the application because there are old and backup files or default bad configurations in the application server/web server.<br>
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The  first phase in security assessment is focused on collecting as much information as possible about a target application.
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Information Gathering is the most critical step of an application security test. The security test should endeavour to test as much of the code base as possible. Thus mapping all possible paths through the code to facilitate thorough testing is paramount.
  
[[Application Discovery AoC|4.2.1 Application Discovery]]
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This task can be carried out in many different ways.
  
Application discovery is an activity oriented towards the identification of the web applications hosted on a web server /application server.<br>
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By using public tools (search engines), scanners, sending simple HTTP requests, or specially crafted requests, it is possible to force the application to leak information, e.g., disclosing error messages or revealing the versions and technologies used.<br>
This analysis is important because many times there isn't a direct link with the main application backend and for this reason a discovery analysis is useful to reveal details such as,web-apps used for administration, old versions of files or artifacts which were never deleted and created during the test/development phase or a result of maintainance.
 
  
[[Spidering and googling AoC|4.2.2 Spidering and googling]]
 
  
This phase of the Information Gathering process consists in browsing and capturing resources relating to the application being tested. Browsers such as Google can be used to discover issues related to the web application strucutre or error pages produces by the application that can be found and is exposed to the public domain.<br>
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[[Testing for Application Discovery (OWASP-IG-005)|4.2.5 Application Discovery  (OWASP-IG-005)]] [rename to "Enumerate applications on webserver"]<br>
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Application discovery is an activity oriented to the identification of the web applications hosted on a web server/application server.<br>
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This analysis is important because often there is not a direct link connecting the main application backend. Discovery analysis can be useful to reveal details such as web applications used for administrative purposes. In addition, it can reveal old versions of files or artifacts such as undeleted, obsolete scripts, crafted during the test/development phase or as the result of maintenance.
  
[[Analisys of error code AoC|4.2.3 Analisys of error code]]
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[[Testing: Spiders, Robots, and Crawlers  (OWASP-IG-001)|4.2.1 Spiders, Robots and Crawlers (OWASP-IG-001)]] [rename to "Review webserver metafiles" ]
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This phase of the Information Gathering process consists of browsing and capturing resources related to the application being tested.
  
Web applications may divulge information during a penetration test which is not intended to be seen by an end user. Information (such as error codes)can inform the tester about technologies and products being used by the application. Such error codes can be easy to exploit without using any particular skill due to bad error handling strategy<br>
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[[Testing: Review webpage comments and metadata  (OWASP-IG-00x)|4.2.x Review webpage comments and metadata(OWASP-IG-00x)]]
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Review the webpage metadata, HTML, JavaScript comments for sensitive information and disabled links/scripts.  
  
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[[Testing: Identify application entry points (OWASP-IG-003)|4.2.3 Identify application entry points  (OWASP-IG-003)]]<br>
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Enumerating the application and its attack surface is a key precursor before any attack should commence. This section will help you identify and map out every area within the application that should be investigated once your enumeration and mapping phase has been completed.
  
[[Infrastructure configuration management testing AoC|4.2.4 Infrastructure configuration management testing]]
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[[Testing: Identify application exit/handover points (OWASP-IG-00x)|4.2.x Identify application exit/handover points  (OWASP-IG-00x)]]<br>
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Identify the functional exit points of the application and points where the application hands over to another application that may, or may not, be within scope of testing (e.g. handover to a payment gateway).
  
Often an analysis on the infrastructure and topology architecture can reveal a lot of information about a web application such as source code, HTTP methods allowed, administration functionalities, authentication methods and infrastructural configurations.<BR>
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[[Testing: Map paths through the application (OWASP-IG-00x)|4.2.x Map paths through the application (OWASP-IG-00x)]]<br>
For this reason focus only on the web application can't be an exhaustive test considering the information that it's possible to obtain during a security assessment by analyzing all the components present in a network.
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Enumerating the application and its attack surface is a key precursor before any attack should commence. This section will help you identify and map out every area within the application that should be investigated once your enumeration and mapping phase has been completed.  
  
[[SSL/TLS Testing AoC|4.2.4.1 SSL/TLS Testing]]
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[[Testing for Web Server Fingerprint (OWASP-IG-00x)|4.2.x Testing Web Server Fingerprint  (OWASP-IG-00x)]]<br>
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Application fingerprint is the first step of the Information Gathering process; knowing the version and type of a running web server allows testers to determine known vulnerabilities and the appropriate exploits to use during testing.
  
[[DB Listener Testing AoC|4.2.4.2 DB Listener Testing]]
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[[Testing for Web Application Fingerprint (OWASP-IG-004)|4.2.4 Testing Web Application Fingerprint  (OWASP-IG-004)]]<br>
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Application fingerprint is the first step of the Information Gathering process; knowing the version and type of a running web server allows testers to determine known vulnerabilities and the appropriate exploits to use during testing.
  
During the configuration of a database server many DB administrators don't consider the importance of the security about DB Listener component which reveals sensible data as some kinds of configurations and database istances running.<br>
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[[Testing for Error Codes (OWASP-IG-006)|4.2.6 Analysis of Error Codes  (OWASP-IG-006)]]<br>
The collection of these information can provide the needful elements to compromise the reservedness, integrity and availability of the data stored.<br>
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During a penetration test, web applications may divulge information that is not intended to be seen by an end user. Information such as error codes can inform the tester about technologies and products being used by the application.<br>
An accurate security analysis over DB listener configuration problematics permits to acquire these information.  
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In many cases, error codes can be easily invoked without the need for specialist skills or tools, due to bad exception handling design and coding.  
  
[[Application configuration management testing AoC|4.2.5 Application configuration management testing]]
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[[Testing: Search engine discovery/reconnaissance (OWASP-IG-002)|4.2.2 Search Engine Discovery/Reconnaissance  (OWASP-IG-002)]]<br>
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Search engines, such as Google, can be used to discover issues related to the web application structure or error pages produced by the application that have been publicly exposed.
  
The web applications hide some information which usally not cosidered during the development or the configuration.<br>
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Clearly, focusing only on the web application will not be an exhaustive test. It cannot be as comprehensive as the information possibly gathered by performing a broader infrastructure analysis.
These data can be discovered in the source code, in the log files or in default error codes of the web servers so a correct approach on this problematic is fundamental during a security assessment.
 
 
 
[[File extensions handling AoC|4.2.5.1 File extensions handling]]
 
 
 
Observing the file extension present in a web server and so used for a web-app it's possible to comprehend the technologies which compose the applications (for example jsp and asp extensions in a server-side architecture) and the others systems linked to it.
 
 
 
[[Old file testing AoC|4.2.5.2 Old, backup and unreferenced files]]
 
 
 
The files contained in a web server (as old, backup and renamed files), freely readble and downloadble are a big source of information so it's necessary to verify the presence of these data because many times contain parts of source code, installation paths and sometimes also passwords for applications and/or databases.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
{{Category:OWASP Testing Project AoC}}
 

Latest revision as of 05:27, 8 November 2012

This article is part of the new OWASP Testing Guide v4.
Back to the OWASP Testing Guide v4 ToC: https://www.owasp.org/index.php/OWASP_Testing_Guide_v4_Table_of_Contents Back to the OWASP Testing Guide Project: https://www.owasp.org/index.php/OWASP_Testing_Project


4.2 Information Gathering


The first phase in security assessment is focused on collecting as much information as possible about a target application. Information Gathering is the most critical step of an application security test. The security test should endeavour to test as much of the code base as possible. Thus mapping all possible paths through the code to facilitate thorough testing is paramount.

This task can be carried out in many different ways.

By using public tools (search engines), scanners, sending simple HTTP requests, or specially crafted requests, it is possible to force the application to leak information, e.g., disclosing error messages or revealing the versions and technologies used.


4.2.5 Application Discovery (OWASP-IG-005) [rename to "Enumerate applications on webserver"]
Application discovery is an activity oriented to the identification of the web applications hosted on a web server/application server.
This analysis is important because often there is not a direct link connecting the main application backend. Discovery analysis can be useful to reveal details such as web applications used for administrative purposes. In addition, it can reveal old versions of files or artifacts such as undeleted, obsolete scripts, crafted during the test/development phase or as the result of maintenance.

4.2.1 Spiders, Robots and Crawlers (OWASP-IG-001) [rename to "Review webserver metafiles" ] This phase of the Information Gathering process consists of browsing and capturing resources related to the application being tested.

4.2.x Review webpage comments and metadata(OWASP-IG-00x) Review the webpage metadata, HTML, JavaScript comments for sensitive information and disabled links/scripts.

4.2.3 Identify application entry points (OWASP-IG-003)
Enumerating the application and its attack surface is a key precursor before any attack should commence. This section will help you identify and map out every area within the application that should be investigated once your enumeration and mapping phase has been completed.

4.2.x Identify application exit/handover points (OWASP-IG-00x)
Identify the functional exit points of the application and points where the application hands over to another application that may, or may not, be within scope of testing (e.g. handover to a payment gateway).

4.2.x Map paths through the application (OWASP-IG-00x)
Enumerating the application and its attack surface is a key precursor before any attack should commence. This section will help you identify and map out every area within the application that should be investigated once your enumeration and mapping phase has been completed.

4.2.x Testing Web Server Fingerprint (OWASP-IG-00x)
Application fingerprint is the first step of the Information Gathering process; knowing the version and type of a running web server allows testers to determine known vulnerabilities and the appropriate exploits to use during testing.

4.2.4 Testing Web Application Fingerprint (OWASP-IG-004)
Application fingerprint is the first step of the Information Gathering process; knowing the version and type of a running web server allows testers to determine known vulnerabilities and the appropriate exploits to use during testing.

4.2.6 Analysis of Error Codes (OWASP-IG-006)
During a penetration test, web applications may divulge information that is not intended to be seen by an end user. Information such as error codes can inform the tester about technologies and products being used by the application.
In many cases, error codes can be easily invoked without the need for specialist skills or tools, due to bad exception handling design and coding.

4.2.2 Search Engine Discovery/Reconnaissance (OWASP-IG-002)
Search engines, such as Google, can be used to discover issues related to the web application structure or error pages produced by the application that have been publicly exposed.

Clearly, focusing only on the web application will not be an exhaustive test. It cannot be as comprehensive as the information possibly gathered by performing a broader infrastructure analysis.